Death Angel - The Bastard Tracks (Nuclear Blast) [Simon Black]
Back in May this year, Death Angel joined the ranks of the many bands who have kept their profile alive through a live stream performance. Now this name is a bit oxymoronic, as they are never genuinely live, being recorded and edited but hey, at this point in the pandemic none of us really cared a jot. I also firmly believe that the livestream format is here to say and it’s precisely because of events like this that they will continue to have a place in the pantheon. The Bastard Tracks is an eye-opener of a name and it refers to songs that generally only the hard core fans would generally know and recognise. This was a bold and good choice, as most bands during this period have opted for greatest hits sets, or ones voted for by the fans (which comes down to the same thing more often than not), so taking the step to only play material that is rarely, or indeed never played live is a great way to say “thank you” to your fan base.
Despite my deep love of 80’s Thrash, Death Angel are not a band that I have had as much exposure to compared to all the other acts that emerged from the fertile soil of the Bay Area in this period, so this perhaps means I can listen to this without too many preconceptions regarding the choice of material. First off, the energy and razor sharp delivery grab you from the get go and as you would expect from seasoned old pro’s like this, the delivery machine is running on full pelt. The choice of songs might not be as recognisable, but they rattle through the lengthy fifteen song set with energy and aplomb.
As always on these things the sound mix seems to fall somewhere between the cleaner tonal delivery that comes out of a studio recording but with the added energy of an as-live performance, although I have yet to see one of those things that goes anywhere near capturing the richer, fatter, truly live sound that comes from a band playing a large room with the acoustic and vocal contributions of a few thousand screaming fans. They also miss that crucial interaction and the energy boost that the band is getting from the punters, without which the net effect is that we are watching a tour rehearsal, even though it’s actually coming from the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, but with no audience the acoustics still come across as a little tinny.
That said, this fares better than most and has reminded me that this really is a band that I need to cross off my live bucket list sometime soon. Mark Osegueda has always had a few more singing chops than some of the contemporaries, despite the Thrash house style and I was genuinely impressed by his nod to Dio in the cover of Falling Off The Edge Of The World, but then this is a band who have been heinously overlooked despite their key role in the history of the genre. Live streams are not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you want to do something different that might not make commercial sense as a full blown tour, then the format is perfect. Lively, energetic and even though their better songs are not represented too much, this is still an enjoyable contribution to their canon. 7/10
Paul Gilbert – ‘Twas (The Players Club) [Simon Black]
Back in May this year, Death Angel joined the ranks of the many bands who have kept their profile alive through a live stream performance. Now this name is a bit oxymoronic, as they are never genuinely live, being recorded and edited but hey, at this point in the pandemic none of us really cared a jot. I also firmly believe that the livestream format is here to say and it’s precisely because of events like this that they will continue to have a place in the pantheon. The Bastard Tracks is an eye-opener of a name and it refers to songs that generally only the hard core fans would generally know and recognise. This was a bold and good choice, as most bands during this period have opted for greatest hits sets, or ones voted for by the fans (which comes down to the same thing more often than not), so taking the step to only play material that is rarely, or indeed never played live is a great way to say “thank you” to your fan base.
Despite my deep love of 80’s Thrash, Death Angel are not a band that I have had as much exposure to compared to all the other acts that emerged from the fertile soil of the Bay Area in this period, so this perhaps means I can listen to this without too many preconceptions regarding the choice of material. First off, the energy and razor sharp delivery grab you from the get go and as you would expect from seasoned old pro’s like this, the delivery machine is running on full pelt. The choice of songs might not be as recognisable, but they rattle through the lengthy fifteen song set with energy and aplomb.
As always on these things the sound mix seems to fall somewhere between the cleaner tonal delivery that comes out of a studio recording but with the added energy of an as-live performance, although I have yet to see one of those things that goes anywhere near capturing the richer, fatter, truly live sound that comes from a band playing a large room with the acoustic and vocal contributions of a few thousand screaming fans. They also miss that crucial interaction and the energy boost that the band is getting from the punters, without which the net effect is that we are watching a tour rehearsal, even though it’s actually coming from the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, but with no audience the acoustics still come across as a little tinny.
That said, this fares better than most and has reminded me that this really is a band that I need to cross off my live bucket list sometime soon. Mark Osegueda has always had a few more singing chops than some of the contemporaries, despite the Thrash house style and I was genuinely impressed by his nod to Dio in the cover of Falling Off The Edge Of The World, but then this is a band who have been heinously overlooked despite their key role in the history of the genre. Live streams are not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you want to do something different that might not make commercial sense as a full blown tour, then the format is perfect. Lively, energetic and even though their better songs are not represented too much, this is still an enjoyable contribution to their canon. 7/10
Paul Gilbert – ‘Twas (The Players Club) [Simon Black]
It’s become something of an annual gag that I will take on one of the increasingly enthusiastic pile of Christmas themed albums that some well-meaning musicians will bring out at this time of year from the Musipedia Slush Pile. The joke’s on the artists really, because we all know they were probably cutting this in the middle of summer, but every year someone hopes to have a snowball’s chance in hell of adding something to the pantheon of Xmas hits that drive retail shop workers insane.
The reality is that this doesn’t happen too often, which is why the majority of the steady eddies are as old as I am. Nevertheless, when a shredder of the calibre of Paul Gilbert decides to have a go, I decide to join in the fun, even though the release date of this breaks my rules about when Xmas music is allowed to be started to play in the Black household. Fuck it, pass the mince pies then…
Most of the tracks on here are instrumental shred versions of Christmas classics, but noticeably they are all based on much older songs from America’s 50’s heyday or even older carols, presumably to avoid paying too much in the way of publishing dues and therefore allowing me to avoid Whamageddon for a few more days at least. There are some original pieces on here as well, though, most notably Three Strings For Christmas which refers to a three string section of a double neck guitar, tuned in a way that allows him to play some incredibly impressive arpeggios.
Most of the tracks on here are instrumental shred versions of Christmas classics, but noticeably they are all based on much older songs from America’s 50’s heyday or even older carols, presumably to avoid paying too much in the way of publishing dues and therefore allowing me to avoid Whamageddon for a few more days at least. There are some original pieces on here as well, though, most notably Three Strings For Christmas which refers to a three string section of a double neck guitar, tuned in a way that allows him to play some incredibly impressive arpeggios.
Now if the whole album had been full of this sort of experimentation then I would probably be jumping up and down a whole lot more, but sadly it’s all a bit predictable in the main and really runs out of steam as the novelty wears off quickly. That said, Gilbert remains one of the most effortlessly enjoyable payers out there, and is always a joy to listen to, even if this album should have either been a little shorter or blown out most of the covers in favour of more original and experimental content. 6/10
Daxma - Unmarked Boxes (Blues Funeral Recordings/Majestic Mountain Records) [Matt Cook]
During the darkest of days smack dab in the middle of the pandemic, Daxma channeled all of their collective ire, melancholy and fear and created a remarkably beautiful album, Unmarked Boxes (Blue Funeral Records/Majestic Mountain Records), a post-metal/doom effort packed with varying vocal deliveries, chilling compositions and brilliant blends of styles. Isaac R., listed as the guitarist, vocalist and bassist, displayed an awe-inspiring range of singing. Album opener The Clouds Parted sees a slow dirge explode into slimy muck, somehow morphing into a very satisfying number. The aforementioned Isaac’s entrancing vocals make this one of Unmarked Boxes’ finest songs.
Not to be overshadowed, however, is Jessica T.’s accompaniment on Anything You Lose, an outlet that sees them and Isaac majestically singing harmonized lines that sound simply angelic, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic. The first four songs play out in an alternating style, with the first and third running at just about 13-and-a-half-minutes and the second and fourth less than five minutes - the former more heavy and harsh while the latter stood as slow and somber pieces.
On Hiraeth, drummer Thomas I. unexpectedly breaks out into a snare line, a not-so-common element within the genre, but it nestles nicely into the song that takes a more doomy approach before perfectly seeping into post-metal. Thomas again flexes their muscle on Comes Back In Another Form, sufficiently guiding the band in rhythm and confidence. A magnificent crescendo at the end dies into a fading outro, concluding a colossal collection of wonderful music. 8/10
Repentance - Volume 1 - Reborn (Noble Demon) [Matt Cook]
Repentance - Volume 1 - Reborn (Noble Demon) [Matt Cook]
Don’t let the runtime fool you: the roughly 20 minutes of Repentance’s Volume 1-Reborn EP (Noble Demon) smashes you in the teeth, snaps your neck and throws your lifeless corpse to the ground in a fury of groove metal and metalcore. All The Misery introduces us by way of solid production, robust growls and easy-to-headbang-to beats. Reborn erupts from the first second thanks to a gnarly guitar solo and a guest appearance from Trivium’s axeman Corey Beaulieu.
A healthy, thrashy riff carries the listener until vocalist Adam Gilley belts out “Burn this place down,” igniting another ass-kicking solo. Down In The Water and This Is Hell keeps everyone’s necks sore and strained, while packed between is No Innocence, a chuggy song with more evidence of the clear talent from guitarists Shaun Glass and Eric Burns. Volume 1-Reborn adds Repentance’s name to the list of serviceable, dynamic and tight-sounding metal bands. The Chicago five-piece wasted no time confirming that with their newest EP. 7/10